Olympic Flame Led Student to Global Village at MIIS

Wangxing Zhao (MPA ’11) (center) in Vancouver.

March 31, 2010

Just a few weeks after the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games ended, Wangxing Zhao (MPA ’11) already has his sights set on the 2012 London Summer Olympics. After working in athletic services at the Beijing Games in 2008, and again this year in Vancouver, he freely admits to being obsessed with the Olympic Games. The excitement of meeting and engaging with people from all corners of the world is what appeals to Wangxing and also what drew him to the Monterey Institute. He is a daily member of the global community that exists on the MIIS campus every day.

Wangxing had to work hard to convince his professors that going to Vancouver to work for the International Olympic Committee was worth the classes he missed. The clear links between his interests in all things Olympic and his future plans played a large role in his successful efforts to convince them. Wangxing is considering adding a second degree in Translation and Interpretation to further his international credentials. But the Olympics are never far from his mind and have already been the subject of three large class projects at the Institute.